Aug 31, 2023
In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer interviews Andrea Learned, a climate communications strategist and host of the Living Change Podcast, on the topic of building a leadership platform and personal brand for influence. Melina and Andrea discuss the importance of being authentic and engaging on social media to attract media attention and build trust with others.
They emphasize the value of showcasing expertise and being seen doing the things you promote, as it builds credibility and inspires others to take similar actions. The conversation also highlights the power of aligning personal brand with initiatives and causes that align with one's values. Overall, the episode emphasizes the need for leaders to be visible and engaged on social media platforms to have influence and make an impact.
In this episode:
00:00:00 - Introduction,
Melina introduces Andrea Learned, host of the Living Change
podcast, and shares how they connected through a post Melina shared
on LinkedIn asking for suggestions from fans for potential podcast
episode topics. They discuss the importance of influence and how it
can be applied to climate change and other causes.
00:03:47 - Building Climate Influence,
Andrea shares her expertise in climate influence and how she helps
leaders in the clean energy, food systems, transportation, and
policy sectors leverage their platforms to drive scalable climate
action. She emphasizes the importance of being visible and
accessible on social media to gain influence and attract media
coverage.
00:08:55 - Leveraging Leader's Influence,
Andrea discusses the power of leaders in driving climate influence
and how their engagement on platforms like LinkedIn can
differentiate them from competitors and amplify their brand's
messaging. She emphasizes the need for brands to support and
empower their leaders to build their influence.
00:11:49 - Nudging Behavior Change,
Melina and Andrea explore the role of influence in behavior change
and pitching ideas. They discuss the importance of making it easy
for others to follow your influence and how leaders who are visible
and engaged can create a path for media and other stakeholders to
follow.
00:13:29 - Media Pitching and Visibility,
Melina and Andrea highlight the benefits of having a visible leader
in media pitching efforts. They discuss how a leader's visibility
and engagement on social media can make it easier for the media to
identify the right person to pitch and provide a blueprint for
their expertise and messaging.
00:15:19 - Importance of Building a Leadership
Platform,
Building a leadership platform for your sector allows you to have a
warmer and more interesting conversation with the media. It also
gives you social capital that you can carry with you wherever you
go, even beyond your current organization.
00:17:24 - Importance of Media Training and Polished
Communication,
Media training and being able to communicate in good sound bites
are valuable for building influence. It is important to align your
personal brand with your organization's initiatives and show that
you can be a polished spokesperson.
00:18:35 - Being Seen Doing the Things You Advocate
For,
It is important to be seen doing the things you are advocating for.
Andrea shares real-world examples of leaders and influencers riding
bikes, going plant-based, or taking other actions that align with
their message. These actions influence others and encourage them to
follow suit.
00:24:54 - The Power of Vulnerability and Building
Trust,
Being willing to be visibly vulnerable helps build trust with
others. Taking the first step and showing you are on a journey,
even if you are not perfect, encourages others to be braver and
join in the cause.
00:26:47 - Examples of Influential Leaders,
Examples of influential leaders include Malala who advocated for
girls' education and Jane Goodall who used her work with
chimpanzees to raise awareness about climate change and poverty.
These leaders align their personal brand with their cause and use
their influence to make a difference.
00:30:51 - The Impact of Consumer Recommendations on
the Planet,
Andrea discusses the importance of being aware of the impact our
consumer recommendations have on the planet. She emphasizes that if
we claim to care about the environment, we should consider the
items we recommend or use, as they can influence others to emulate
our behavior.
00:31:52 - The Power of Conversion Storytelling,
Melina and Andrea explain that conversion stories, where someone
makes a significant change in their behavior, can be incredibly
powerful in influencing others. Stories of personal transformation,
such as transitioning from meat-eating to a plant-based diet or
switching from driving a big truck to riding a bike, can have a
strong impact on inspiring change.
00:33:34 - Seeing Yourself in the Story,
Melina highlights the importance of seeing oneself in a story to
overcome resistance to change. By sharing relatable stories of
individuals who have made similar changes, it becomes easier for
others to envision themselves making similar shifts in their
behavior. This can lead to increased motivation and action.
00:34:49 - Making Change Accessible,
Consider making change accessible by setting short-term challenges
or goals. For example, committing to meatless Mondays for a month
or riding a bike for short trips three days a week. By breaking
change into manageable steps, it becomes less overwhelming and more
likely to be adopted.
00:39:43 - Influencing Others through Personal
Expression,
Andrea discusses the power of personal expression in influencing
others. Sharing stories of personal journeys, like Mark Marin's,
for example.
00:44:41 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Influence,
Melina discusses the strategy of posing things as questions on
LinkedIn to invite engagement and leverage social proof. Asking
questions and opening up conversations is a powerful way to pull in
more people and increase influence.
00:45:11 - Walking as a Form of Leisure and
Errands,
Melina shares her recent experience of going on a three-hour walk
to the farmers market and running errands along the way. Walking is
a preferred activity for her and her husband, and they enjoy the
combination of leisure and productivity.
00:46:21 - Tips for Subtle Influence,
Be brave enough to contribute and add value, even if it's not
broadcasted. Engaging in social media comments and gradually
becoming comfortable with sharing ideas and opinions can lead to a
bigger platform and influence in the long run.
00:47:26 - Conclusion,
Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you
while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come
share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as
@thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.
Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.
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